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  All the Fresh Nerd Heroin You Could Ever Want

  On July 2, Animate is opening its latest super store in Shinjuku. If you’ve never been to an Animate, they’re like hypermarts. For otaku. This latest Animate is no exception, with its four floors packed with anime, manga, and game goods. Need Inazuma Eleven shirts? Neon Genesis Evangelion wigs? How about Clamp goods or Final…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
• Culture

  The Baggy Pants and Silly Hats of the Fable Universe

  Mike McCarthy, of Lionhead Studios, has for many a year now been working on the Fable series, bringing us some of the weirdest and most wonderful characters going around. In a world where angry bald space marines are the norm, and brown and grey the extent of most colour palettes, Fable‘s bright, comical character designs…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Uncategorized

  Now Age of Conan is Free-to-Play

  Massively-multiplayer game Age of Conan has just jumped on the bandwagon and is releasing a free-to-play version. For those wondering, the existing, paid version is going nowhere, with free players given the option of upgrading should the fancy take them. One day, our grandchildren will laugh at the notion we spent money on video games…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Split/Second Developers Get the Boot

  Black Rock Studios, the developers behind explosive racer Split/Second, have been shut down by owners Disney. Those laid off have already formed two new studios, called Roundcube Entertainment and ShortRound Games. [Eurogamer]

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  This Year’s Club Nintendo Rewards Suuuuuuck

  Pins and a calendar. Yep, that’s what Nintendo of America is giving Gold and Platinum Club Nintendo members. That’s kinda lame. No, that’s really lame. More in the link, bitching in the comments section. [Club Nintendo Thanks, GeeQ!]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
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  The Zelda Game of My Dreams

  Reddit user thepixelartist, who is a “professional 3D artist” by trade, has taken the raw game files included with The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and turned them into something so glorious I’m getting dizzy just looking at them. Inspired by user 50CALBR’s earlier efforts, he’s got the game’s Outset Island looking absolutely stunning, and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Star Fox Puppets Sing David Bowie (Do a Barrel Roll, Major Tom!)

  This is Bowie’s “Space Oddity” via Star Fox. With puppets!

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
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  This 3DS Box Art Just Got Ugly

  The box art for 3DS game Nintendogs + Cats looks similar to the box art for Nintendogs. Make that looked According to Japanese website Famicom Plaza, Nintendo said that the change was made to differentiate the two games. Some gamers might have trouble discerning which version is the DS one and which one is the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
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  War is Looking Very Pretty On the PC These Days

  There comes a point in every hardware cycle where the PC, thanks to its ability to be constantly updated, begins to pull ahead. Do things a console shooter can’t do. We’re now reaching that point. While Battlefield 3 is probably the most prominent example of this, with the astounding visuals of its PC edition, I’m…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Wronged Chiptune Artist is Mysteriously Avenged

  Last week we brought you the sad story of chiptune artist Andy Baio and his run in with the legal system over an album cover. Opponents of current copyright laws will no doubt then get a smile out of this. An anonymous sponsor in New York City paid people to put up posters of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  A Tale of Two Tales Cafes

  Next month, Tokyo’s Ufotable Cafe is being turned into a special Tales cafe as part of a promotion for Namco’s Tales role-playing games. Then in September, the Tales cafe will move to an Ufotable in Tokushima. In both cafes, there will be special Tales themed food and drinks, a Tales exhibit, and more. For a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
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  Hang Some Portal 2 On Your Wall

  While Valve sells its own collection of Portal 2 merchandise, nerd internet store Think Geek is doing its own bit for science, first with testing gel and now with these classy posters based on the hit first-person puzzler. While Valve’s prices tend to drift towards the “fancy” end of the market, these are highly affordable,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Don’t Believe the Lines. Don’t Believe the Hype.

  Whenever a new console launches in Japan, people line up. And whenever there are lines, there’s often press there taking photos. During the last several hardware launches, I was there, doing just that. For Kotaku coverage, I always try to take as many pictures as I can at several different stores to get a better…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 1, 2011
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  When Call of Duty’s Creators Left, They Took a LOT of People With Them

  Last year, Vince Zampella and Jason West – heads of Infinity Ward and the creators of the Call of Duty franchise – abruptly resigned from the studio and formed a new company At the time, it became knowledge that a few of their former IW colleagues had joined them at their new studio, Respawn Entertainment.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  Free Team Fortress 2 Players Can’t Play In EVERY Game

  While the news Team Fortress 2 has gone free-to-play is good for most, for some long-time fans of the game, it’s been seen as an assault on decency and common sense. Which they’ve reacted to by putting up a wall. A script has been created by Asher Baker at Limetech, which enables servers to filter…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  In Memory of the Original Castle Wolfenstein (the one That Wasn’t In 3D)

  It’s a slightly sad quirk of video game history that id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D is lauded as a masterpiece of gaming while the title it was heavily inspired by – name and all – is afforded no such honour. Yet id’s comic blaster owes everything to a stealth game released in 1981 called simply Castle…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2011
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  D.C. Universe Online Adds Microtransaction Support

  D.C. Universe Online has launched something called the “DCUO Marketplace,” and while its shelves are pretty bare, what it could portend down the line is worth paying attention, if not cash. Currently all you can buy are “Proto Repair-Bots” (tune your gear without visiting a tech in HQ) and extra Vault Tickets. Given that you…

  By Owen Good Published June 30, 2011
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  Videodome

  Kotaku readers of the night, please talk amongst yourselves in this, our sleepier, more casual open thread of the day. We have a few things for you to watch and read, non-video game related, if you’re looking for a diversion. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got hot dogs to cook as we gear up…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 30, 2011
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  Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife, Bed Intruder‘s on Rock Band 3

  Like a civil court filing just beating the statute of limitations, Bed Intruder has officially made it to Rock Band‘s catalog of downloadable songs, 11 months after it was first uploaded (July 30, 2010, for those keeping score.) The song is 160 Microsoft Points/$2 [h/t Kariodude]

  By Owen Good Published June 30, 2011
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  Pac-Man Fever Duo Stake Their Comeback to a Mobile Game

  When they cashed in on the video game crazy nearly 30 years ago, Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia didn’t have to worry about licensing. Columbia/CBS records took care of that as Pac-Man Fever soared to No. 8 on the charts in 1982. Of course, the price they paid came later, in the form of CBS’s…

  By Owen Good Published June 30, 2011